


The dog Whistle

by 42isRobin (mari_gomes)



Category: DCU, Green Lantern (Comics), The Flash (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Hal and Barry text a lot, Halbarry Fanfiction Challenge, M/M, Wally is a cute dog, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 02:05:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4245417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mari_gomes/pseuds/42isRobin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Carol gave Hal a dog whistle as a gag gift, he didn't expect the whistle to actually work, or for the ower of te dog that takled him because of it be so cute. He regrets nothing, thought. For the HalBarry fanfiction challange.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The dog Whistle

It started with a gag gift from Carol. Hal was either going to blame her for the rest of their lives or sending her a fruit basket. Not really sure which, maybe both. She definitely deserved both. So, Carol had bought him the stupid whistle and he had kept it mostly to piss Gardner off, he already lived with Hal without paying rent, he could take a little mockery from Hal. Kyle found that incredibly amusing and Guy had a tendency to indulge his boyfriend. So the whistle had stayed on Hal’s keychain for a good part of the year. He regrets everything now. 

The good thing about the whistle was that it didn’t cause any pain to Gardner (he couldn’t even hear the thing), so it had become a sort of habit: Guy would do something stupid, Hal would blow the whistle and Kyle would laugh at Guy’s face like a crazy person. Hal almost thanked Carol once. But, then, she would become insufferable.   
One afternoon, Hal and Guy were walking at the park; Kyle wasn’t with them this time so there was nobody there to mock Guy’s stupid behavior, as usual, and he decided that a dive inside the duck pond was a great idea. Hal blew the whistle. He didn’t expect to be run over by a very big and excited labrador and a very cute guy running after the dog. 

The dog’s cute owner watched shell-shocked as Hal, Guy, and his dog took a dive in the duck pond and then burst out laughing. Hal was caught by surprise by how much he enjoyed that laugh, but in his defence it was a full belly, dimpled laugh. It was cute and made him want to listen to it again. 

“Sorry about the dog, I wasn’t expecting it to show up”. The dog’s cute owner (Hal needed to find out his name, with his luck he would end up calling him that to his face) smiled. 

“It’s alright, my dog kind of pushed you in that pond anyway”. 

“I’m Guy, this is Hal and he would like to buy you some coffee”. Guy, as always, didn’t know when to shut up or when to stop trying to set Hal up with cute dog owners. Maybe it was a good idea, but it was more likely to crash and burn. Like all other Guy’s “brilliant” ideas. 

“He would?”. A blush, Hal was so wrong to think this guy couldn’t get any cuter. 

“Of course, but I didn’t catch your name”. Hal gave what Carol used to call “I’m adorable, please do my bidding” smile. 

“Ah, I’m Barry”. Again the dimpled smile, it made Hal want to lick it. ”So, coffee?” 

“Sure, but I need to dry myself first, so can we rain check it?” 

“Of course, I will give you my cell phone number, then you can tell me where and when”. 

Hal was never more grateful for his impulse to buy a waterproof cell phone, one more thing to thank Carol, he guessed. He gave Barry his phone and watched as the blond typed his phone, took a picture of the dog and handled the phone back to Hal. 

“I’ll text you with the details later.” 

“You do that. I’ll be going then”. With a final wave, Barry and the dog (he had to remember to ask the dog’s name later) left. Hal said goodbye and, behind Barry’s back, a “I’ll kill you” gesture to Guy, who laughed and mouthed “Thank me latter” to him. He got out of the pond (he hadn’t realized he was still inside the damn thing) and helped Guy get out too. 

Guy gave him the look and Hal knew he was doomed to at least one week of him being insufferable for setting Hal up with Barry. Maybe Hal could go to Carol’s or someone else, because Hal had just broken up with Carol, again. Maybe kick Guy to Kyle's place was a good idea, but it would only work for giving Guy ideias. Bad ideas. Barry seemed worth it at least, with his blond hair that pointed to all directions, his baby blue eyes and his awesome cheekbones. 

\------ 

Hal wasn’t going to text him, Iris had warned him about it, but he hadn’t believed her. He shouldn’t, after all, Iris West was always right. Given the way they met, he couldn’t judge Hal, not too hard anyway. Barry could always cuddle with Wally and watch bad sci-fi movies and eat ice cream full of dog fur. Wally got his fur everywhere he went and even some places he didn’t. 

The week passed in a blur at work, walking Wally and the casual meeting for coffee and gossip with Iris. He loved her company and she was one of his best friends, like a sister really. They were meeting at the local ice cream shop (Barry really liked ice cream, don’t judge him). They were talking about her recent promotion when Barry’s phone beeped with a text. It was Hal’s. It was a date, a time and a location. A coffee shop not very far from the park and Barry was looking forward to it.   
The coffee shop was at the corner of the park it was a small cosy place and, according to Hal, had a coffee that was a gift from heaven. The barista was a nice looking guy that waved at Hal as soon as they entered the shop and started to make what it seemed a very complicated coffee. His name tag had “Kyle”, all in block letters.   
“Hal! Who’s the cutie?”. The barista waved again at Hal, who made a grabby gesture towards the coffee and left a generous tip at the jar. “I’m Kyle Rayner, by the way. What do you want on your coffee?” 

“Just black, thank you.” Barry was definitely blushing now. Kyle was looking at him like he was a new and very interesting thing, and Hal was just by his side, looking pleased with himself. “I’m Barry, Barry Allen.” 

“Nice to meet you, Barry Barry Allen.” Kyle smiled at Barry and started to make Barry’s coffee, he muttered something under his breath about over complicated coffees and stupid pilots. “Here, your coffee, Mr. Allen; this time on the house.” 

“Thank you, Kyle.” Barry smiled and put twenty dollar on the tip jar, and then, Hal was practically dragging him to a corner booth. 

“What’s your dog's name anyway?” 

“It’s Wally and this is seriously the first question you wanted to ask me?” Hal shrugged and then blushed. 

“It was bothering me all week, Carol had to knock me on the head a feel times this week. Perks of working with your ex-girlfriend I guess.” Hal sagged a little bit, like he was afraid Barry was going to take off because of his working arrangements, instead Barry asked for an explanation, so Hal launched himself in a very complicated explanation about Carol, their on/off relationship and his job at Ferris Aircraft, that Carol owned. 

Barry also talked about his job, he was a forensic scientist and how Iris, his best friend and roommate begged him for help to get articles and investigations for the sake of her reporter career. He also talked a bit about Wally and how he had adopted him after he found him abandoned in a box near their apartment.   
“She didn’t want the dog, but she took one look at him, melted and let me keep it.” 

“I would too, the poor thing, I can’t believe someone would abandon such a cute thing.” 

The blond one couldn’t believe his luck, he found the guy who was handsome, tall, dark-haired with green eyes and a great ass. Only that he didn’t have a single shot with the guy, because he was, of course, in love with his boss. Barry could tell it by the way Hal talked about his relationship with his boss, the sparkle in his eyes. 

\----- 

Hal was a little bit in love, it was all Barry’s fault, the blond was funny, kind and cute. They talked at the coffee shop for hours, mostly about superficial details of their lives, Barry talked about college. Mostly the blond’s stories about this time were with Patty Spivot, who seemed like the one that always got Barry in trouble. Hal talked about his travels, work and vacations, he liked to meet new people and learn about different cultures. 

They left the shop when Guy showed up to pick up Kyle. Guy was his usual loud and childish self and Hal wanted to keep Barry to himself, at least for a little more. Kyle must've realized that, because as soon as Guy started going towards their table, Kyle dragged him to the kitchen. Hal decided it was probably a good time for a tactical retreat.   
"That was Guy, my roommate and the barista's boyfriend." 

"He was with you at the pond." 

Hal laughed “God, I was hoping you wouldn’t remember that, it was so embarrassing.” 

“Please, I would need a neuralyzer to forget that one.” 

“I think you can buy those on ebay.” 

Barry’s laugh was infectious and bright, a thousand watts dimpled laugh that made his whole body shake with it. It was one of the best sounds Hal had ever listened, so, while they walked side by side to the bus stop, he made sure to listen to that sound as much as he could. 

“What do you mean you have a car and prefer to use the bus?” 

“I don’t like to drive, I get distracted too easily.” 

“I hadn’t noticed that.” 

They both looked at each other for a few seconds before they burst out laughing. Hal never thought he was going to meet someone that got his sense of humor; Guy and Carol definitely didn’t. When the bus arrived, they had already promised to meet again. 

\----- 

Barry checked his cell phone again, Patty raised her eyebrow at him. He couldn’t help it, the last few days he and Hal had texted each other all the time. It had started after the coffee shop, with Hal asking him about his opinion on Jurassic Park, and then it had escalated. They had exchanged texts like: “Who would you prefer to fight: Agent J or Yoda?”, “Zombie Apocalypse or Thermonuclear Apocalypse?”. Hal was also sending him random pictures like of Carol, Guy and his plane. Barry’s texts were more of Wally’s pictures, things about his job, mistakes on cop shows (especially C.S.I.), the old centrifuge that always made scary noises if he put the spin velocity over 3000 rpm, the vegan diet Patty switched to that made her kind of moody. 

“You know, Barry, you should just ask him out once and for all.” Patty was reading one of Hal’s texts over his shoulder, this one said: “CAROL WANTS ME TO WAKE UP AT 5 A.M. TOMORROW” 

“One day, I’ll go work at a place where people respect my privacy. Today is not the day”. Patty just looked unimpressed at him. “He is in love with Carol, Patty; I can’t do it.” 

“Barry Allen, you and this guy texted each other at least 30 times in the last hour we’ve been working here. He likes you.” 

Sometimes, like now, Barry almost regretted calling Patty about the opening at the police. She was noisy and mostly didn’t let him get away with anything, Barry was just happy she never ganged up with Iris, who was also teasing him endlessly about the “Hal thing”; she did the finger quotes and everything. Barry had denied everything, she had showed him his text history where he and the pilot did the crosswords together, through text. 

He and Hal met each other again on the weekend, this time they both met at the park and Barry took Wally with him. It was a beautiful summer day, with the skies very blue and not a sign of clouds anywhere near it. Wally and Hal became instant friends and, before Barry could even blink, they both started running around the park. Afterwards, Hal and Barry went for an ice cream (Hal’s idea). 

“Wally is a really nice dog.” Hal was scratching the dog behind his ears and his tail was lazily wagging. “Yeah and he really likes you, Hal.” The pilot smiled at that and kept his constant scratching behind Wally’s ear. “He never liked anyone at first sight like this, actually; Patty and Iris had to go to my apartment a few times before he even let them near him.” Hal smile dimmed a little, but he quickly recovered. 

“It was my magic whistle”. The dark-haired waggled his eyebrows and Barry laughed again, he never met someone who could make him laugh as much as Hal did. It made him want to spill all his secrets to the pilot. 

“I used to come to the park with my parents, when I was younger, my mom liked the scenery here at the park.” 

“What happened, Barry?” 

The blond gave him a melancholic smile and looked at the trees, that were swaying with the wind. Hal gave him a strange look, one that Barry had never seen on anyone before. 

“She died when I was ten. Car accident, front collision with a drunk driver.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Hal brushed their shoulders together and Barry felt a little better knowing that he was listening. 

"It was a long time ago, Hal" 

"I know, but I also know how it is to lose a parent." Barry shot him a confused look "My father died when I was young, he was a pilot and his plane crashed due to a malfunction. Sometimes it still hurts, a lot." 

Barry and Hal sat together for some time, with their shoulders pressed and looking at the trees and Wally running in circles around them. 

"How are you still able to pilot after what happened to your father? I mean, after my mom died I couldn't get near any car for a long time" 

"I was scared at first too, but then I remembered how much he loved to fly and how he always smiled when I said I was going to be a pilot too" Hal smiled, he seemed to be remembering something really good. "So, when I fly, I feel like I'm honoring him by doing something that he loved." 

"I became a forensic scientist because of my mom too; they never caught the guy who was driving the other car that killed her and I wanted to make sure that this never happened to anyone else." This time, Hal put his arms around Barry and pulled him closer; with Hal this close, Barry thought he was going to lose all his air, or worse, kiss him right there. He needed to leave. 

"I should probably take Wally home, he is going to get tired soon." 

"Okay, I should go too. I have a flight early tomorrow." 

“Goodbye, Hal, have a good flight. Text me when it’s over.” 

“Bye, Barry. I’ll, don’t worry” 

\----- 

“He is straight, Guy, I’m telling you. He has a girlfriend.” Guy gave Hal the dryest look he ever received. Hal didn’t even understand how he got there, on his underwear watching a stupid show on Netflix (it wasn’t America’s Next Top Model, shut up, Guy). Until Guy barged into his room demanding attention. 

“He could be bi, you know.” Hal glared at Guy, he just wanted to spend the day watching Tyra Banks and, hopefully, bright-eyed young girls interact on the TV. Instead, his roommate had barged his room and now he was staring at Hal, expecting him to talk about Barry. 

“He has a girlfriend, Gardner, it doesn’t matter if he is bi or not.” 

“Is it the season with the english girls too?” 

That was why Hal liked Guy so much, he knew when to push for answers, but also knew when not to, so they both sat on the couch and watched models fighting and crying for a little while. They were watching for at least an hour, so occasionally they talked about things. Like how Kyle’s comic was going, Guy’s job at the school (he was a teacher), Hal’s job and even Barry. He had to admit, even if just for himself (and Guy) that he was getting used to Barry. After the day at the park, the texts got a lot more frequent and more personal. Hal even catch himself talking about his discharge at the military. 

They were halfway through the season finale when Hal receive a text from Barry, he was expecting a funny picture or some joke he heard at the job, or even something Patty had done to drive the blond up a wall. When he saw the message, his blood ran cold. Wally was sick. The labrador had eaten something that made him sick. 

“Hal?” Guy’s voice was a whisper, which made the pilot even more nervous. “Is everything okay?” Worry colored Guy’s voice and Hal just shook his head no. 

“I have to go, Guy, you can stay here if you want, but I gotta go.” 

“Bullshit, I’ll go with you. You can’t drive like this.” Hal looked at his hands, he was really shaking. “I’m driving you where you need to go. Where is it?”   
“The Vet Clinic, Barry’s dog is sick.” 

\------ 

The worst part, Barry decided after a while, was the wait. Intellectually, he knew Wally had more chances to survive than he had to die, but seeing the dog in pain was awful. He sounded so miserable when the doctor, a very competent-sounding woman that introduced herself as Dr. McCabe, took him to examination that Barry felt like his heart was tearing apart. He had texted Hal; the blond knew, deep down, that it was a bad idea, but he needed someone with him, and the pilot made him comfortable and had the almost supernatural ability to make him laugh. He needed a distraction of Wally’s sickness. 

He wasn't expecting the pilot to actually show, but there was Hal with a red haired, broad shouldered man and Barry recognized as the one who was with Hal the day they met. The pilot spotted Barry and went straight to him, sat by his side and pressed their shoulders together. 

“Hey, Barry. You already know Guy”. The red haired man gave a little wave and sat a little further and immediately started texting someone. “He drove me here.” 

“It’s okay. I just wanted someone with me.” Barry tried to smile, but the face Hal made convinced him he was not very successful in it. “I’m worried, Hal. Wally was looking so bad”. 

“I’m sure Wally is going to be okay. He is a tough little guy.” 

“I know, Hal, but it still breaks my heart seeing him in pain.” 

“It’s true, but the doctor, he is doing all that’s possible to help him” 

“Thank you.” Barry gave him a small smile and that warmed Hal’s heart a little. 

The doctor entered the waiting room that moment and went straight to Barry, who stood up and met the woman halfway, she then invited him to enter her office. The doctor’s office was a mess of kitten and puppies pictures, motivational posters and animal anatomy posters. The blond was starting to get really worried about his dog now. 

“Wally’s fine, he can go home with you today.” The doctor’s voice was soothing and the news she was delivering were even better for Barry’s mood. 

“What happened to him, I mean, one minute he was fine and then he wasn’t.” 

“It seems like he ate something bad to him, so we got his stomach pumped. You can take him home, just watch him closely and try to keep chocolate and other candies away from him.” 

“Thank you so much, Doctor.” 

“My pleasure, Mr. Allen. Wally is a really nice dog.” The doctor scratched between Wally’s ears, his tail wagged a little, but the dog still seemed a little down. “He still has a little recovery to do, so be extra careful with him today.” 

\---- 

“You should kiss him. In the mouth.” as soon as Barry and Dr McCabe had entered the office, Guy sat beside Hal and started his little “man up and kiss him” speech. “He might dump his girlfriend for you. That’s what happened with me and Kyle.” 

“Kyle had already broken up with Soranik when you two met, Gardner.” The pilot gave Guy a dirty look. “Barry still is with his girlfriend, I can’t do it.” 

“Are you sure Barry has a girlfriend? I mean, I was talking to Carol the other day--” 

“You talk to Carol?” Hal shoot up from his sit, startled. “You can’t talk to Carol, it’ll end bad for me!” 

“I talk to Carol since your last break up. She showed up at the apartment when you weren’t to return your things, I was making coffee and offered her. She’s awesome, by the way. Anyway...” Guy made a shut up and listen gesture “I was talking to her and she said you assumed Barry has a girlfriend because of the way he talks about this Patty something; this is not the same as knowing, Harold.” 

“I regret the day I told you that.” Hal’s shoulders sagged? a little, he was scared of Barry’s reaction if he told the blond how he felt. “You are right, nevertheless. I should tell him.” 

Guy smiled a little “I was scared too, you know. Kyle was this amazing and creative person and I’m, well, me.” 

“You’re right, I don’t know what he saw on you.” They both snicked at each other and Guy gave a playful punch on Hal. 

“Talk to him, Hal, what’s the worst thing that can happen?” 

“He can punch me in the face and never talk to me again.” 

Guy threw his hands in the air, shook his head and went back to text Kyle, cleared thinking that he had done his job. 

“Who’ll punch you in the face, Hal?”, of course Barry would show up right that second. Hal looked at Guy, asking for help, but he only winked and went back to his phone. The pilot turned back to Barry, he could feel himself blushing. “Hal?”. Barry just seemed worried about him. Hal was having an internal debate about listening to Guy and Carol, the first always trouble and the last not so much or listening to the little self-deprecating voice on his head that always said he couldn’t get nice things. Looking at Barry’s face now, so honest and caring, Hal decided to go for it. 

“You, Barry.” Barry looked confused. 

“Why would I? You didn’t do anything.” 

“I need to talk to you, Barry, but not here.” 

“Well, I already have to take Wally back to my place. Why don’t we go there?” 

\---- 

His apartment was a mess, he had a busy week at work and with Wally getting sick he just didn’t have the time to clean it. The apartment was a one room apartment with a pretty good balcony. Barry liked the balcony to watch the street and Wally used it as a sleeping place on the summer. Hal seemed nervous all the way and hadn’t talked at all, now he was near the door, standing there looking ready to flee. It was starting to freak Barry out. 

“So, what was that you wanted to talk about and why would I punch you?” 

“Please don’t, it was just a possibility.” Hal looked like a deer caught in the headlights and was blushing. The blond had never saw the pilot blush before today, it was adorable. “Please don’t hate me.” 

Barry didn’t understand why he would hate Hal, for about five seconds, and then the pilot kissed him; a gentle kiss, like Hal wanted to savour the moment. It surprised the blond a lot and by the time his brain caught up with what was happening, Hal had already pulled back. Barry didn’t want him to do it, so he gripped Hal’s shoulder and kissed him. It started as a gentle kiss that quickly changed to something more demanding and hungry, one of Hal’s hands were on his lower back and the other was playing with the hairs on the back of his neck. When they separated, more for lack of oxygen than anything, both were panting and the adorable blush had come back full force to Hal’s face. 

“See, no punching happened.” Hal laughed and went for another kiss and Barry kissed him back with a lot of enthusiasm. They made out like that, on his living room/kitchen for a little while. 

“You have no idea how happy I’m right now”. Hal’s smile was one of the best things Barry had ever seen and was the kind of smile that could light up the whole room. “I thought you were going to hate me, Bear.” 

“First: Why would I hate you?” Hal looked a little guilty at that “Second: Bear, really?” 

“I thought you had a girlfriend”. Hal gave his shoulder a little squeeze. “Bear sounds like your name and you are like a giant teddy bear.” 

They stood like this, close together with their arms around each other. Barry wanted to spend the rest of his life like this. It was so warm and comfortable, at least until Wally made himself known by getting between the two of them. 

“Hey, puppy, guess we should be watching you, right?” 

“What about we watch a movie and I make some popcorn for us?” 

“How can I refuse that, Bear?” 

\---- 

The movie was awful, it was one of the new horror flicks that didn’t even made sense and with bad CGI, Hal and Barry spent the whole movie laughing at the protagonist (a woman that clearly didn’t know what she was doing) and making out like teenagers. When the movie ended, a very disappointing end, by the way, Hal stood up. He should leave, probably. 

“I should go.” 

“Stay the night, Hal; please?” he couldn’t say no to Barry’s hopeful face, so he said yes and they both went to Barry’s room; Wally had gone to his bed at the balcony halfway through the movie. Barry closed the door behind him and pressed Hal’s back at the closed door. They kissed like this, with Hal pressed against the door until they were both breathless and panting. Hal thought he was going to come in his pants right there. 

“Bear, if you don’t stop now, we won’t make it to the bed.” 

“Maybe I don’t want to make it to the bed, Hal.” 

They kissed again, this time, Barry was guiding him to the bed. Hal ended up barely making it to the bed, losing his shirt and pants on the way.   
“You should be naked, Bear. I want to see you naked.” 

“Smooth, Jordan.” Barry laughed and Hal reached for him, taking off the blond’s shirt and pants. 

“I have two brain cells right now, don’t judge.” 

“Let’s see for what they’re good for.” Hal got Barry and himself rid of underwear and showed him what his brain cells and no gag reflex were good for, thoughtfully. They ended up falling asleep afterwards, not before Barry stood up and tossed the condom on the trash, tangled the sheets and each other with sweat drying on their skin. 

\----- 

“Bacon and eggs, breakfast of the champions.” 

Hal was standing near the kitchen island, his hair messed up and only in his underwear. Barry had never seen something more beautiful. 

“Morning, Hal.” Hal went behind him, passed his arms around him and kissed his neck. 

“Morning, Bear. I woke up and you weren’t there” 

Barry turned around and smiled, he was so glad they both had the same height; it was easier to kiss Hal like this. 

“Someone had to make breakfast and check on Wally.” 

“What about me? What if I needed you when I woke up?” 

“I can compensate you later.” Hal pressed his mouth against Barry’s. 

“I’ll make sure you do.” Barry smiled. 

“Later, now we eat.” He gestured the eggs and bacon that he had made and started picking up the plates and put them on the table. “The breakfast of the champions, like you said.” 

Hal grinned at him and started to fill his plate with the food. The coffee maker biped, right on cue and Hal reached for it. They spent a good part of the morning like this: eating, drinking coffee and enjoying each other’s company. 

After breakfast, they took Wally for a walk; Hal using Barry’s clothes almost caused them not to leave the room for the rest of the morning. The labrador was very excited to leave the apartment and roam free a little bit while his owner and Hal walked behind him, holding hands. It was a good morning for the three of them. Hal really hoped this one was the first of many.

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my own Oliver Queen: Chalu, without you to bear me while I talked about the fi and help me write it, this wrk would never be complete. I also would like to thank [HalBarry](http://halbarry.tumblr.com/) for being my beta. I'm [42isrobin](http://42isrobin.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr.


End file.
